catastrophically
Americanadverb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The failure the pope describes consists in an institution’s confidently drawing the boundaries of moral concern with its most authoritative tools, holding that line for centuries, and turning out to be catastrophically wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
That combination is most plausible if oil prices stay elevated, but not catastrophically so.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
"We've done this because Britain is about to make a catastrophically stupid mistake," Holloway said.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
Streeting said in October 2025 a thorough "Nottingham-style" investigation was required to understand what had "gone so catastrophically wrong" at Leeds' two maternity units.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
Besides that there were all kinds of environmental worries—that salinity levels below the dam would rise catastrophically, for example, devastating the ecology lower down, not least the valuable oyster beds of Delaware Bay.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
